Team Stats

Passing Yards

Rushing Yards

Turnovers

Time of Poss.

GENEVA, N.Y.—Running back Steven
Webb rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns as
Hobart College defeated Gallaudet University 34-7 in the first
round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship at Boswell
Field today. The senior broke the Statesmen season rushing
touchdown record with his 20th score of the year on a 58-yard run
on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Webb averaged 9.5 yards per carry on his
way to his 15th career 100-yard rushing game. He also moved into a
tie with Keith Brandon '01 for second place on the single season
rushing list, upping his total to 1,369 yards. The Hobart season
record belongs to Don Aleksiewicz '73. The previous season mark for
rushing TDs was 19 shared by Aleksiewicz and Bobby
Dougherty '13.

The Hobart defense contained the nation's No. 4 rushing attack,
limiting the Bison (9-2) to 276 yards rushing, nearly 41 yards
below their season average. The Statesmen (10-0) came up with a
pair of takeaways. The first was a fumble forced by junior
defensive end Tyre
Coleman that senior linebacker Devin
Worthington scooped up and returned it 48 yards for
a touchdown. The second was a third quarter interception by
first-year free safety Michael
Harper, the first of his collegiate career, on one of
only three passes attempted by GU, which relies on the triple
option.

Coleman rang up a game-high 10 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.
One week after Worthington broke the Hobart career tackles for loss
record, Coleman surpassed his teammate. The junior now owns the
mark with 63, while the senior is in second with 61.5. Sophomore
defensive end Mark
Guarino-Hyde matched his career-high with nine
tackles and junior linebacker Jacob
Price added eight stops.

Coleman and senior linebacker Cory
Davis set the tone for the day, dropping sophomore
running back Braxton Baker for an 8-yard loss on the first play
from scrimmage. GU went three-and-out on that drive and got off a
32-yard punt into a strong wind.

Hobart took over at its own 46 and engineered a 14-play, 54-yard
march that ended with a 2-yard plunge by Webb for a 7-0 lead.
Gallaudet moved the chains on its ensuing possession, but stalled
out just short of the red zone. The Bison elected to go for it on
fourth-and-3 from the 22, but sophomore tackle Tucker
Gumkowski stopped the run 1 yard short.

The Statesmen were forced to punt on their next drive, but Coleman
and Worthington teamed up to get Hobart points anyway. The two-time
Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, Coleman met sophomore
quarterback Quentin Williams 5 yards into the backfield and punched
the ball out of his right hand. Worthington pounced on the loose
ball and logged his second career scoop-and-score. The extra point
was wide right, leaving the Statesmen a 13-0 lead with 12:49
remaining in the second quarter.

On their next drive, facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 31, the
Bison again opted to go for it. This time Guarino-Hyde stuffed the
run for no gain, giving the offense the ball with a short field.
Three straight handoffs to Webb resulted in 3 yards, 27 yards, and
1 yard and another TD that put the home team in front 20-0.

Hobart logged its third TD of the second quarter on its next drive
with another 14-play march. This time, the Statesmen covered 72
yards and ended with a 1-yard pass from junior
quarterback Kyle
Bayly to junior tight end Mike
Berkowitz 34 seconds before halftime. Hobart carried
a 27-0 lead into the break.

Webb broke the season rushing TD record on the very first play
from scrimmage in the second half for a 34-0 lead and took the rest
of the game off. Sophomore running backJustin
Burke carried the ball nine times down the stretch,
gaining a career-high 47 yards.

Gallaudet finally cracked the scoring column with a 16-play,
93-yard drive that used 6:23 off the game clock, spanning the third
and fourth quarters. Flores finished the drive with a 1-yard dive
to make it 34-7. The Bison had one more shot at the end zone with
under four minutes remaining, but on fourth-and-goal from the 3,
first-year defensive end James
Hedger and senior tackle Cory
Einbeck stopped Flores 2 yards short of the goal
line.

Hobart advances to the second round where it will meet St. John
Fisher College, a 25-16 winner at John Carroll today. The game will
kickoff at noon on Saturday, Nov. 30. The NCAA will announce which
team will host that contest on Sunday, Nov. 24.